If the school holidays have you fearing those dreaded words, ‘I’m bored!’ but you know you don’t have cash to spare, never fear – a quick Credit Simple brainstorm is all you need.

Check out our top 5 tips to help you survive – and thrive – during these school holidays, with your budget and savings well and truly intact.

1. Get out and about – for free
Whether you’re planning a vacation or a staycation, the school holidays are the perfect time to get out and enjoy heaps of free and low-cost activities on offer. From kid-friendly museums and galleries, to parks, adventure playgrounds, libraries, national parks and even that ol’ favourite, the beach, you could easily fill a whole day (and ensure the kids are well and truly tuckered out) for the cost of a car trip or a bus ride and your byo sandwiches.

2. Try backyard camping
An old-school family holiday might not be in the budget this month, but there’s no reason you can’t drag the camping gear out of the garage, or borrow some from a mate, and have your own backyard camping adventure. This idea is perfect if you small kids who might not be used to being away from home – their beds are just metres away. There’s no stressful car ride required, and it’s a risk-free option that won’t be spoiled by bad weather.

3. Enjoy a crafternoon at home
This trendy pastime (a combo of the words ‘craft’ and ‘afternoon’) is not just for pinterest-obsessed twenty-somethings – in fact, it’s beyond kid-friendly. Especially if the arvo looks gloomy, a bit of craft can go down a treat with the young and young at heart. The best bit? There’s not much skills and very little money involved. Crafternoons can include painting, drawing, origami, The only limit is your imagination – google ‘crafternoon’ and you’ll see what I mean.

4. Have a movie marathon
Find me one kid that doesn’t love to veg out in front of their favourite movie or binge their fave tv show with a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn on the coffee table. Whether you fire up those streaming services or crack out the DVDs, each kid can pick their favourite movie or show for some much needed family chill time. If it all goes well, why not make it a regular event?

5. Go bush
Tramping is a brilliant way to explore the natural world on a budget. Just grab the sunscreen, insect repellent and plenty of water, load up the car with the bits ‘n bobs you need for a BBQ or picnic, and hit the road for an awesome family day out. Pro tip: make sure you let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to be back.

Hopefully these 5 cheap school holiday activity ideas get you thinking of even more fun, free ideas to keep the kids occupied.

The post 5 super fun (and frugal) school holiday hacks appeared first on Credit Simple NZ.

While we’re all a bit caught up in election fever and trying not to engage in full-on fisticuffs with people who don’t share our political views, we need a bit of light-hearted, affordable fun. And not the sort of good times that involve ordering small but vomit-inducingly costly meals at painfully hip cafes. I mean activities we can actually afford and not feel shame about years from now when we’re explaining why the culinary choices of yesteryear mean our children can’t have nice things.

The following options won’t have you proclaiming you’re doing cheap’n’cheerful whilst keeping a stiff upper lip – I swear they’re actually quite enjoyable and won’t destroy your avo on artisan toast deposit.

The cheap

• Thrills

Cheap night at the movies – or the Reading Cinema all-week $10 deal. Either is a pretty sweet deal – and depending on the type of theatre you can make it a $20 night and quaff a glass of wine at the same time. You can even go with other people, not talk to them for two hours and claim you’ve been social.

• Gastronomic delights

What’s more caring, sharing, cheap and entertaining than pot luck? You only have to cater for your own dietary requirements AND people bring wine. Not to be sniffed at. Is also excellent opportunity to bring out all the forgotten wonders – because nothing says you’re a good host like half an orange stabbed with cheese and pineapple.

• More gastronomic delights

Two for one! A number of perfectly acceptable dining establishments do this – also not to be sniffed at.

• Thirst-quenchers

Organise a wine tasting at an actual wine shop. Get a large enough group and it’ll be not much each – and you get to look cultured while potentially also learning something about viticulture you can parrot at a later date in an attempt to look smarter than a parliament of owls.

• Acronyms

BYO. Has an acronym ever given more pleasure? Just remember to check the corkage fee. I once got charged five bucks for opening an admittedly quite large can of beer in a restaurant. I shake my fist at you, Palmerston North.

The free

• Literature and loos

If you don’t already belong to your local library, then you’re a sad excuse for a human being. All the books. In one building. So you can read them. For free! And it’s warm, the toilets are usually nice and so are the librarians. Unless you make them angry. Don’t do that.

• Glad rags

There are several advantages to clothes swaps, not the least all the items you walk away with. You all also get to have a clothing clean-out so you feel virtuous, your friends feel virtuous, and anything that doesn’t get chosen can go to charity for more virtuous feelings. Or you could try and sell them at a second-hand boutique. As a bonus, people bring wine! And snacks!

• The stretching of the legs

I know exercise isn’t necessarily entertainment for a lot of people, but on the off chance it is – there’s a heck of a lot of rather nice day walks in this country. Get moving. Take friends, walk off some of the cheap eats and fit into your new glad rags.

• Especially for you

Utilise your birthday – and get free things on your special day. I’d say do your research but it turns out cheapies.nz has already prepared a list of places around the country trying to give you gratis goodies. Just keep in mind that for most of these you have to sign up to a mailing list or take at least one another (paying) person along with you when you collect your birthday freebie. Your mum would probably be keen.

Having a social life while not jeopardising the contents of your bank account, or incurring the wrath of anyone you might share said bank account with can be a spot tricksy.

But as you and your beloved wallet walk together through life it’s important to remember that while cheap wine will have you throwing up the next day, a cheap but fabulous experience will leave you feeling nothing but smug. And smugness lasts a long, long time.

The post How to enjoy life without annihilating your bank account appeared first on Credit Simple NZ.